A simple question on System.out.println

[Madhu Kumar Vatts]

I have two pieces of code

1. public class Stringmethods {

public void testmethod()
{
String s="airplane";
System.out.println("Number of exceptions thrown rows:");
}
}

2. public class Stringmethods {

public void testmethod()
{
String s="airplane";

}
System.out.println("Number of exceptions thrown rows:");
}

the second one (2)doesnt work. Can any body answer why it is working when we keep it in a method and why not when it is in a class

[Siripa Siangklom]

the second one (2)doesnt work. Can any body answer why it is working when we keep it in a method and why not when it is in a class

In OO concepts, software objects interact and communicate with each other using messages.

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

The short answer is that you have to put Java statements inside methods -- that's just the rule.

The slightly longer answer is that a variable declaration with or without an initializer isn't a statement, it's a declaration, and those can appear at class scope; but all other code must be inside a method or block.

[Ilja Preuss]

In the second case, when should the code be executed?

[Suhaasi Karnik]

You could think of it in this way:
A class describes the structure of the object and its functionality.
Structure is described by member variables. eg. String item="airplane";
Functionality is described as methods. e.g. System.out.println("Zoooooom awaaaaaaay");
Hence System.out, which describes the behaviour of the object, goes in a method.
[ October 05, 2004: Message edited by: suhaasi karnik ]

[Mahesh Bhatt]

Hi all,
That's true, in java, Other than the variable declarations, all the code has to be within the body of methods. because in java the communication happens only through methods of a class. If some code is outside a method then that gives a compilation error.
[ October 05, 2004: Message edited by: prashant bhogvan ]

[Ilja Preuss]

Originally posted by prashant bhogvan:
Hi all,
That's true, in java, Other than the variable declarations, all the code has to be within the body of methods.

That's not fully true: constructors aren't nethods; and you can have static and instance initializers.